BJUnity

WELCOME.

Months of hopes, dreams, conversations, careful plans and purposeful actions have brought us to this wonderful day! Generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and straight affirming alumni of Bob Jones University—spanning more than six decades—finally and officially have an alternative organization for networking and support. We are not alone!

To our LGBT+ alumni family and friends: the time for change is upon us! We are here visibly, actively, and positively to affirm you. No matter the harsh mistreatment you may have endured, your Bob Jones University LGBT+ family—BJUnity—is here for you, always. We love you. We stand with you. You are not alone anymore!

To our fundamentalist friends and family: the time for change is upon us! You may have been told otherwise, but we are people just like you. People you have known and loved. People who love you still. We are here to establish common ground for reconciliation with you. We want you to understand who we are. We want to share with you our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and dreams. We are your beloved children, siblings and friends. We love you. We miss you. We are here for you, too!

To the frightened student struggling with his or her sexuality at Bob Jones University or in its sister Independent Fundamental organizations: the time for change is upon us! Please know that you are not alone. We understand very well what you are going through. We have been where you are ourselves. We are here to support you, confidentially, and to offer a listening ear, a compassionate shoulder, a helping hand, and a warm embrace as you find your own way and your own answers in this struggle between your faith and your innate sexuality. We love you. You are not alone. You don’t ever have to be alone anymore!

To the administrators of Bob Jones University: the time for change is upon us! For long years you have denied our existence, disparaged our reputations, destroyed our lives, and demonized our souls. We love you, too, hard as that may be for many of us to say through all the pain. We have many fond memories of our time at BJU and count some of you among our long-time friends. Today, we are making our presence known, publicly and permanently. We long for dialogue with you. We long to help you change the way LGBT+ students at Bob Jones University are treated; many of them have known no other life apart from fundamentalism and yet wrestle daily, silently with feelings of despair and isolation because of the harsh words you preach and the misconceptions you have instilled. We love you. We love them. We’re here to change the conversation!